We run a subscriptions bureau, so we're one of the options here. Everything about other bureaux comes from their own websites and the InPublishing directory, checked in October 2026. Services change, so check details with each bureau. If something is out of date, tell us and we'll fix it.
Most UK publishers who outsource subscriptions use one of a fairly small group of bureaux. They vary a lot in size, in the kind of publisher they're built for, and in whether they run their own software.
Here's who does what, from each bureau's own description. We run one of these bureaux, so bear that in mind. If you're still deciding whether to outsource at all, start with in-house or bureau?.
The bureaux
Adept Data Services (Gravesend, Kent)
Our bureau runs subscriptions and circulation for publishers on our own software, Avio for larger publishers or Adeptis for smaller ones: orders, payments, renewals, customer service, gone-aways, mailing files, controlled circulation qualification and ABC and BPA audit preparation, plus digital editions. Clients can have their own logins to the same system. Our team came from the big bureaux, so B2B and controlled circulation titles are home ground.
Air Business (Hatfield, Hertfordshire)
Established in 1986 and owned by An Post, Air Business offers a fully managed subscriptions and order-to-cash service for consumer, business, academic and membership organisations. It describes custom billing cycles, trials and gifting, customer experience teams in the UK, Asia and America, monthly reconciliation including earned and deferred revenue, and its own Integra platform with an API. Clients can keep their own customer service team and use the platform. It lists PCI DSS, SOC and ISO 27001 certifications.
HH&S (London)
HH&S, "The Subscriptions Business", works with newspaper and magazine publishers on subscription strategy, customer-facing platforms, payments, print and digital fulfilment, home delivery and retail vouchers, customer care, reporting, rewards and marketing. Its directory listing mentions more than 300 daily, weekly and monthly titles and over 35 years in the business.
InterMedia (Crawley, West Sussex)
InterMedia offers a fully managed subscription bureau powered by its own Myriad software, alongside Myriad as software you run yourself. Its bureau service covers account management, subscription marketing, database management, payments, a customer service centre, client portal reporting, direct mail and fulfilment. InterMedia also offers newsstand distribution and other publishing services.
Warners (Bourne, Lincolnshire)
Warners Publishing Services offers "Total Circulation": subscription and membership services, a customer and data hub, customer service, storage and fulfilment, digital edition advice and newstrade distribution, with Warners' own printing business alongside.
CDS Global (Hearst)
A Hearst subsidiary offering end-to-end subscription outsourcing: acquisition, payment capture, billing and subscription management, customer support, print distribution and fulfilment, churn management and reporting, for media and publishing and other sectors.
Abacus (London)
Owned by Naviga since 2022, Abacus offers bureau services for subscription management and fulfilment alongside its own software, for publishers, member bodies and brands. It describes itself as a BACS-approved bureau.
ESco (Braintree, Essex)
ESco provides subscription and membership management for publishers, membership organisations and charities, including customer service, a single customer view, automated communications, payment processing, ecommerce, reporting and direct mail.
dsb.net (Northampton)
The UK arm of German subscription services company dsb, offering full-service subscription support for media companies on its own software family.
Webscribe (Buckinghamshire)
A family-run bureau for independent publishers, offering fulfilment and mailings, order taking, an in-house Direct Debit scheme, branded order pages per title, automated renewals and a subscriber portal.
Questions to ask any bureau
- Who will do the work? Meet the team, and ask how long they've been doing it.
- Whose software is it? A bureau that owns its system can usually change it more quickly.
- Will we have our own logins to see figures and records without asking?
- How do you handle controlled circulation and audits? Who prepares the ABC or BPA figures and evidence?
- Are you ready for the 2027 subscription rules? Reminders inside your stated period, online cancellation, end of contract and cooling-off notices, with evidence kept. See our guide to the new rules.
- What happens if we leave? A complete export, in a usable format, on a timescale in the contract.
- How is our readers' data protected? A written processing agreement, two-factor sign-in, permissions by role and an audit trail.
If you'd like to put those questions to us, get in touch.
Questions
What does a subscriptions bureau actually do?
Usually some or all of: taking orders, collecting payments, sending renewals, answering subscribers, handling gone-aways and address changes, producing mailing files for printers and mailing houses, and preparing records for audits. Most bureaux let you choose which parts to hand over.
Can we keep our own customer service team?
Often, yes. Several bureaux offer the platform and back-office work without customer service, and others the other way round. Ask exactly where the split falls and who answers the phone in your name.
How hard is it to change bureau?
It's a project, not a weekend job, but it's routine. The things that matter are getting a complete, usable export of your subscribers, history and payment mandates, and running checks on the counts before the switch.